Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Meeting of Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR)
Posted On: 25 APR 2025 5:49PM by PIB Delhi
TRAI convened a meeting of the Joint Committee of Regulators (JCOR) on 25thApril, 2025, at its headquarters in New Delhi to deliberate issues needing cross-sectoral regulatory collaboration and formulate collaborative measures including dealing with unsolicited commercial communication (UCC)/ spam and fraudulent communications. Members of the JCoR, including representatives from RBI, IRDAI, PFRDA, SEBI, MoCA, and MeitY, participated in the meeting. Additionally, DoT, and MHA representatives attended the meeting as special invitees.
The Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR), an initiative of TRAI, was established to foster collaborative efforts among sectoral regulators from the telecommunication, IT, Consumer Affairs, and financial and insurance sectors to deliberate cross sectoral regulatory issues in the digital world and work collaboratively on adopting appropriate regulatory measures. Members of the committee have since leveraged this platform to reinforce their regulatory framework and ensure its effective implementation. The JCoR has provided a very useful collaborative forum to address the issue of UCC & regulatory challenges in the digital era and enhance regulatory frameworks to control UCC through collective effort.
In his opening address, TRAI Chairman Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti highlighted the critical need for a collaborative approach to combat spam messages and calls creating inconvenience and defrauding the citizens, especially, the senior citizens, the progress made by JCOR in this regard and the challenges ahead.
The following are some important items deliberated in the meeting:
Modalities for implementation of 1600 series numbers, allocated specially for making transactional and service voice calls by the entities belonging to the government and financial sector, were discussed. The committee members agreed to take up the issue with entities within their jurisdiction for expediting its implementation in a time bound manner and regular monitoring. The CoAI also made a presentation before the committee regarding various solutions that can offer an entity one 1600 series number CLI to be presented to the recipients across all the TSPs and LSAs in the country.
Modalities for onboarding of senders of commercial communication on Digital Consent Acquisition (DCA) platform were deliberated. JCOR members agreed to engage with the senders/Principal Entities (PEs) within their jurisdiction to onboard them on DCA.
During the deliberations, I4C discussed various measures to counter fraudulent communication and the problem of Digital Arrest scams. In this regard, measures such as deletion of unused message headers and content templates to avoid their misuse by spammers, prompt action on fraudulent SMS headers, blocking of the Mobile Numbers/IMEI utilized in sending fraudulent messages etc. were discussed. The members agreed to work further on modalities for implementation of the same.
The issue of spam and scam through OTT and RCS communication platforms were discussed. MeitY will engage with the stakeholders in this regard to take measures analogues to those for conventional telecommunication.
The JCOR members agreed to further strengthen the collaborative efforts to address these issues collectively so as to increase cross sectoral collaboration and also protect consumers from the harms of spam and fraud while ensuring a more secure and efficient telecom commercial communication ecosystem.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today issued its response to the back-reference received from Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in respect of theTRAI’s recommendations dated 12.04.2024 on “Encouraging Innovative Technologies, Services, Use Cases, and Business Models through Regulatory Sandbox in Digital Communication Sector”.
Earlier, DoT, through a reference dated 10.03.2023, inter-alia requested TRAI, under Section 11(1)(a) of the TRAI Act, 1997, to provide recommendations on framework for Regulatory Sandbox for emerging technologies, services and business model in telecom sector. After a detailed consultation with stakeholders, TRAI provided its recommendations on “Encouraging Innovative Technologies, Services, Use Cases, and Business Models through Regulatory Sandbox in Digital Communication Sector” dated 12.04.2024 to DoT.
Subsequently, DoT, through a back-reference dated 19.03.2025, asked TRAI to reconsider its recommendations dated 12.04.2024 on “Encouraging Innovative Technologies, Services, Use Cases and Business Models through Regulatory Sandbox in Digital Communication Sector”.
After examining the issue, TRAI has finalized its response to the back-reference. TRAI’s response to the back-reference has been placed on the TRAI’s website (www.trai.gov.in).
For any clarification or information, Shri Abdul Kayum, Advisor (Broadband and Policy Analysis), TRAI may be contacted at Telephone Number +91-11-20907757.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Immigration Department Youth Leaders Corps (IDYL) organised the three-day National Games in Touch: Chaoshan Exchange Tour 2025 from April 22 to 24. As the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will cohost the 15th National Games for the first time this year, the exchange tour provided an opportune time for IDYL members to gain insights into the preparations for the Games by visiting the competition venues in Shantou in person, while learning more about Chaoshan’s history and culture.
Addressing the opening ceremony on the first day of the exchange tour, the Director of Immigration, Mr Benson Kwok, expressed his hope that IDYL members would enhance their understanding of the motherland and national affairs by interacting with local youth through site visits, so that they could contribute to the country’s development in the future.
Led by the Commissioner of the IDYL, Dr Cheng Kam-chung, and members of the IDYL Advisory Committee, participants visited Shantou Haojiang Innovation Center, Chaoshan Historical Culture Expo Center, Shantou Sports Center, Nan’ao Island and Chaozhou Ancient City, among others. They also interacted with young entrepreneurs from Chaoshan and student athletes from Shantou Sports School. In addition, the group visited Shantou Offshore Wind Power Industrial Park, where they learned about the country’s key wind power projects and its sustainable development strategies.
The IDYL will continue to actively organise exchange programmes on a variety of themes to deepen members’ understanding of Chinese history and culture, thereby fostering their sense of nationhood, national identity and affection for the nation.
Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurates the Third International Quantum Communication Conclave held on ‘Future of Secure Communication and Cryptography’ New Quantum Standards Unveiled as India Strengthens Global Quantum Leadership
TEC and C-DOT Lead the Charge in Post-Quantum Cryptography and Secure 5G Technologies
Minister Scindia Calls for Bold Steps into the Quantum Age at International Quantum Conclave
Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia: Quantum Computing Will Revolutionize Innovation and Scientific Discovery
Posted On: 25 APR 2025 5:49PM by PIB Delhi
The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), hosted the Third International Quantum Communication Conclave today in New Delhi. This high-level gathering brought together national and international experts, researchers, and policymakers to deliberate on the future of quantum communication, with a strong focus on standardization, research, and secure digital transformation.
Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region; Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Minister of State for Communications inaugurated the conclave. Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific advisor; Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Chairman DCC & Secretary (Telecom) and Smt. Tripti Saxena, Sr. DDG & Head, TEC shared the dais.
The conclave was organised as part of India’s definite steps in taking lead in the areas of quantum communication technologies, especially in light of the National Quantum Mission launched in 2023 with an outlay of ₹6003.65 Crore. The mission, a key initiative under the Prime Minister’s Science and Technology Innovation Advisory Council, aims to seed and scale up R&D in quantum technologies while fostering a vibrant and innovative ecosystem across academia, industry, and start-ups.
As part of the event, three significant documents were unveiled to support and promote the deployment of quantum secure technologies: the Standard on Generic Requirements for Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNG), a Technical Report on Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), and a Technical Report on Quantum Secure 5G/ Beyond 5G Core using PQC.
The Standard on QRNG provides a framework that can be used by the organizations for the evaluation of Quantum Random Number Generators. The purpose of Technical Report on Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) is to sensitize the organizations to identify their critical digital infrastructures including data and applications and be ready for a smooth transition to quantum safe cryptography.The Technical Report on Quantum Secure 5G/ Beyond 5G Core using PQC delves into the vulnerabilities of current cryptographic protocols within the evolving 5G core from the emergence of quantum computers and identifies key areas within the 5G Core architecture where post-quantum cryptography (PQC) can be implemented to achieve quantum security.
Delivering the Inaugural Address at the Opening Plenary of the Conclave, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, spoke about the revolutionary impact of Quantum Technoloy. He pointed out that “quantum computing isn’t just another step forward, it is a giant leap that will define innovation, accelerate scientific discovery and unlock multiple solutions to human problems that were hitherto always thought of as insurmountable”. Shri Scindia added that “the future now is no longer just digital, the future now is quantum. And the ripple effects of quantum computing are already touching not only scientific discovery but also our lives”. He concluded by saying “let’s step into the quantum age with boldness, brilliance, and a clear sense of purpose.”
Minister Scindia also led the Conclave’s participants to observe one minute silence as a mark of respect to pay homage to those killed in the Terrorist attack in Pahalgam, J & K on April 22, 2025. He condemned the terror attack what he termed as the “cowardly, heinous attack by inhuman elements that claimed innocent lives”. He added, “My heart goes out to all those who have lost their loved ones and each one of us extend our heartiest, from the bottom of our hearts, our deepest condolences to every single family member.”
Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Minister of State for Communications, in his Special Address said that under the transformative leadership of Honerable Prime Minister, India is committed to leading the Quantum technology transformation. He informed that “Through the national quantum mission, we are investing deeply in quantum computing, quantum communications, quantum sensing, and quantum materials. Our vibrant startup ecosystem, our world-class research institutions, and our industry pioneers are already delivering indigenous quantum solutions ready for deployment”. The Minister exhorted all researchers, engineers, and visionary entrepreneurs, to ignite their curiosity, expand horizons, and challenge conventional thought.
The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India , Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, in his address highlighted that the conclave is taking place in the year 2025 which has been declared as the Year of Quantum by the United Nations General Assembly. Prof. Sood dwelt on the evolution of Quantum Technologies over the last 100 years stating that “today we are in the second revolution of Quantum Mechanics of the newest technology frontier where we now have the tools to controlling the quantum systems.”
Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Chairman DCC & Secretary (Telecom) expressed the hope, “this Quantum Conclave will help us redefine boundaries, foster collaboration—especially since this is an interdisciplinary field—and develop recommendations so that the government is able to take note of them and adapt our policies accordingly.”
This conclave aimed to create greater awareness about R&D, standardization and testing of quantum-safe technologies, and promote collaboration among stakeholders.
The technical sessions featured thought-provoking talks and presentations by leading experts and organizations from India and abroad, including Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO C-DOT; Dr. Anandaraman Sankaran – Senior Manager, QKD Technical Marketing, Japan; Dr. Ray Harishankar – IBM Quantum Safe, USA; Dr. Kaveh Delfanazari –Senior Lecturer (Electronic & Nanoscale Engineering) University of Glasgow, UK; Mr. Rowan Högman (Advanced technology Director) M/s Ericsson, Sweden; Dr. Urbasi Sinha, Raman Research institute, Bengaluru; Prof. Anil Prabhakar, IIT Madras; and several others.
The conclave also featured exhibition from R&D institutions [C-DOT, CR Rao Advanced Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science] and industries/start-ups [QuNu Labs, QpiAI, Qutess Labs & New Age Instruments & Materials Pvt. Ltd.] offering a glimpse into the cutting-edge advancements in quantum communication and related technologies taking place in India.
The conclave sought to mobilize contributions in international standard organizations. Additionally, it provided a platform to identify existing standardization gaps and foster contributions to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) creation in quantum communication technologies.
About:
Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), is a standards setting organisation for Telecom and related ICT products under the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Govt. of India. It is responsible for formulation of standards, specifications, test procedures, service specifications and technical regulations for Telecom/ICT sector. TEC is actively involved in the standardisation activities on Quantum Technology at domestic as well as international level participating and contributing to ITU, IEEE, etc. TEC has released standards on “Quantum Key Distribution System” and “Quantum-safe and Classical Cryptographic Systems”. TEC has also constituted a “National Working Group on Quantum Technology” (NWG-QT) with members from academia, industry/startups, R&D organizations, service providers, Govt. Organizations, etc. to have a focused and coordinated approach for development of standards on Quantum Technology.
The National Statistical Systems Training Academy (NSSTA) organized a review meeting for the officers of the Indian Statistical Service (ISS) 2023 batch to share insights from their six-month On-the-Job Training conducted at various Sub-Regional and Regional Offices under the Field Operations Division of MoSPI.
The event commenced with a warm welcome extended to Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI; Shri PR Meshram, Director General (Data Governance); Ms. Puja Singh Mondal, Additional Secretary, MoSPI; Shri K.B. Surwade, Additional Director General (Capacity Development Division); Smt. Sunitha Bhaskar, Additional Director General (Field Operations Division); Dr. JS Tomar, Deputy Director General (NSSTA) and other senior dignitaries from the ISS fraternity.
The officers of the ISS 2023 batch had the valuable opportunity to interact with Dr. Saurabh Garg and other senior dignitaries, where they shared their field experiences, key learnings, challenges encountered, and provided constructive suggestions for further improvement.
Simultaneously, the ISS 2025 batch officer trainees, who joined the service on 21st April 2025 at NSSTA, were also present. This event served as their first occasion to engage with senior officers before the commencement of their training journey.
During the interaction, the Secretary, MoSPI acknowledged the rich field insights and thoughtful suggestions shared by the ISS 2023 officers based on their postings across the country. He emphasized the critical role of data and statistics in today’s world, and referenced the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s address on Civil Services Day, underscoring the vital importance of evidence-based decision-making and policy formulation in governance. He notably remarked, “As part of the country’s statistical system, it is essential that we measure what we treasure, and treasure what we measure.”
This event at NSSTA successfully created a collaborative platform for both the 2023 and 2025 ISS batches to interact with one another and engage in meaningful discussions with senior officials from the Ministry and the Field Operations Division, fostering a spirit of learning and mentorship.
The Government published the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Gazette today to make amendments to the existing legislation for the implementation of a new phase of tobacco control measures.
The Health Bureau outlined an overall tobacco control strategy in June last year, with a view to reducing the social hazards posed by smoking products and safeguarding public health. Among the 10 short-term tobacco control measures announced, eight of them require law amendments:
(1) implementation of a duty stamp system for cigarettes
(2) increased penalties for duty-not-paid tobacco
(3) prohibition of the possession of alternative smoking products
(4) implementation of a plain packaging requirement
(5) prohibition of smoking while queuing
(6) extension of statutory no-smoking areas
(7) prohibition of the provision of smoking products to people aged below 18
Meanwhile, the other two short-term measures, namely “continuously reviewing the effectiveness of increasing tobacco duty and the pace of future adjustments” and “strengthening smoking cessation services as well as publicity and education”, do not involve legislative amendments.
The Health Bureau stressed that the Government needs to put in place more proactive measures to curb tobacco use and minimise its harmful effects on society in order to further alleviate the threat posed by tobacco to public health. Having taken in account factors such as effectiveness, practicability and public receptiveness, the bureau put forward these measures last year and further refined the details of the proposed legislative amendments after considering stakeholders’ views.
The Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025 will be introduced into the Legislative Council for first and second readings on April 30.
The Environment & Ecology Bureau (EEB) said the Inter-departmental Working Group on Using Hydrogen as Fuel, led by the bureau, has given agreement-in-principle to eight more applications of trial projects on hydrogen fuel technology at its meeting today.
The first project entails an application jointly submitted by International New Energy Industry Alliance, Wing Tat Cargo & Trading (HK), H2 Powertrains and Ontime International Logistics (HK) Co, involving 10 hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) goods vehicles for cross-boundary transport.
The second one is an application submitted by Wilson Logistics to try out two HFC goods vehicles for cross-boundary transport.
The third project concerns an application submitted by Kam Wai Tourist Bus (HK) Company to try out two HFC coaches for local passenger services.
The fourth one pertains to an application submitted by China Travel Tours Transportation Services HK, Allenbus Automotive Technology Co and REFIRE Hong Kong to test out two HFC coaches for cross-boundary passenger services.
The fifth application was submitted by Affluent Coach Services Company to test out two HFC coaches for local passenger services.
The sixth one concerns an application jointly submitted by the Hong Kong & China Gas Company (HKCGC) and CIMC Enric Hong Kong, involving the provision of electricity with hydrogen power generation equipment for charging electric vehicles at a North Point commercial building.
The seventh is an application jointly submitted by the HKCGC and the Housing Society on extracting hydrogen from the existing towngas network at a Shau Kei Wan construction site to generate electricity for charging electric vehicles and providing electricity for the site office.
The final application was jointly submitted by the HKCGC and the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation to extract hydrogen from the existing towngas network at the Science Park to generate electricity for charging electric vehicles.
The bureau pointed out that to date, the working group has given agreement-in-principle in stages to a total of 26 applications of hydrogen energy trial projects.
Among them, the three HFC street washing vehicles from the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department have passed the examination with the Certificate of Roadworthiness issued.
Furthermore, Sinopec (Hong Kong) has completed all commissioning and testing for the public hydrogen filling station at Au Tau, Yuen Long, and expects to launch the operational trials in the first half of this year.
At today’s meeting, the EEB and the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department briefed the working group on the latest implementation progress of the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong, which includes the Government introducing the Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 2025 to the Legislative Council to cover safety regulations on hydrogen fuel, and organising the International Hydrogen Development Symposium 2025.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today announced that local COVID-19 activity in Hong Kong is expected to increase further in the coming few weeks. As such, it advised that all sectors of the community should enhance personal hygiene and protection measures, including receiving the initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
Those in high-risk priority groups should receive a booster dose in a timely manner to minimise the risk of serious complications and death after infection.
CHP Controller Dr Edwin Tsui said: “According to the latest surveillance data as of the week ending April 19, the viral load of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from sewage surveillance, the test positivity rate and the average consultation rate of COVID-19 cases in general outpatient clinics have continued to rise over the past four weeks.
“In particular, the percentage of respiratory samples testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus increased to 8.21% from 1.71% four weeks ago, a record high in the past six months.”
Meanwhile, the viral load per capita of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was around 440,000 copy/litre, a significant increase from 260,000 copy/litre four weeks ago. Sewage surveillance data also showed that the local prevalence of XDV was on the rise.
Dr Tsui pointed out: “As XDV is a JN.1-related variant, the COVID-19 vaccines currently used in Hong Kong are still effective in preventing it.”
Furthermore, in the past four weeks, the CHP recorded 40 severe cases related to COVID-19, including 10 fatal cases. The majority of the patients are aged 65 or above.
“More than 90%of them had not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past six months,” added Dr Tsui.
He urged members of the public who are yet to receive the initial dose of the COVID-19 jab to get vaccinated as soon as possible. He also noted that those at high risk, particularly the elderly and people with underlying comorbidities, should receive a booster dose for effective prevention against COVID-19 to minimise the risk of serious complications and death after infection.
In light of the Easter holiday, the upcoming Labour Day and Buddha’s Birthday holidays, as well as the recent increase in COVID-19 activity in the community, the Hospital Authority activated service demand surge special measures since April 14 to cope with the potential increase in service demand.
Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki today chaired a meeting of the interdepartmental working group to co-ordinate the preparatory work for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the Mainland’s Labour Day Golden Week.
The Immigration Department estimates that around 5.71 million passengers, including Hong Kong residents and visitors, will pass through Hong Kong’s sea, land and air control points from May 1 to 5, among which 4.9 million are expected to pass through land control points.
The peak period of outbound and inbound passengers using land boundary control points (BCPs) will be May 3 and 5, with around 590,000 and 580,000 passengers expected respectively.
Passengers are advised to plan in advance, avoid making journeys during busy periods and keep track of radio and TV broadcasts on traffic conditions at various control points. The busy times at BCPs are available on the department’s website.
Furthermore, residents and passengers may also check the estimated waiting times at each land BCP via the Immigration mobile app.
In terms of Mainland inbound visitors, around 840,000 passengers are expected to visit Hong Kong via sea, land and air control points during the five-day Labour Day Golden Week. Compared with last year’s Labour Day Golden Week and this year’s Chinese New Year Golden Week, the daily average visitor arrivals will increase by 10% and 13%.
Special arrangements have been formulated at major tourist spots to cope with the increase of people flow.
The Transport Department will enhance transportation services connecting various BCPs, including increasing the frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge shuttle bus (Gold Bus) and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus), and issue additional cross-boundary coach quotas to enhance services.
Regarding local transport services, the department has approached public transport operators to enhance their capacity, and reserve vehicles and manpower to meet the travel needs of visitors.
Among them, the MTR will enhance train services of the East Rail Line between Admiralty and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau at different times from May 1 to 5 for the convenience of residents and visitors.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Board has launched a dedicated webpage to provide useful information including the operating arrangements of major tourist attractions in Hong Kong.
Noting that a notable increase in visitor arrivals is estimated during the Labour Day Golden Week, Mr Chan said the Government will make good preparations for receiving visitors to ensure the smooth operation of various aspects in receiving them and offering a high-quality experience.